Configurable absorbent articles having removable fastening members

ABSTRACT

Configurable absorbent articles are provided. The absorbent articles may comprise a topsheet, a backsheet, and an absorbent core positioned at least partially intermediate the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent articles may comprise a first waist region, a second waist region, a crotch region extending intermediate the first waist region and the second waist region, and an outer cover material joined to the backsheet and forming a portion of a garment-facing surface of the absorbent article. The absorbent articles may comprise leg cuffs and one or more fully removable fastening members. The fastening member may comprise a first fastener on a first surface of the fastening member and positioned proximate to a first end and a second fastener on the first surface and positioned proximate to a second end.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/549,468, filed on Aug. 24, 2017,and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/638,465, filed on Mar.5, 2018, which are both incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to configurable absorbent articleshaving removable fastening members.

BACKGROUND

Absorbent articles are used to contain bodily exudates (e.g., urine andBM) in infants, children, and adults. Absorbent articles may be used inhospitals for diapering infants, premature babies, and/or NeonatalAbstinence Syndrome (“NAS”) babies. Premature babies, NAS babies, orother small infants may require special care by nurses and otherhospital staff. These babies are oftentimes on ventilators, feedingtubes, or other life support or monitoring systems. In some instances,the babies may be positioned within incubators, also known as isolettes.The babies are typically kept in high humidity, sterile environments asthey have very delicate skin that needs to be protected. It is importantto the health of these premature babies that they not be handled toomuch and that they are maintained in a very sterile environment.Handling the babies too much may cause them stress. Current absorbentarticles for premature or NAS babies are somewhat difficult to use andtoo large for very premature babies, especially in the crotch region.When the current absorbent articles are folded about their lateral axis,they typically take on a rectangular or substantially rectangular shape,thereby providing a wide crotch region. Additionally, current absorbentarticles for premature and NAS babies do not provide superiorcontainment of bodily exudates and skin protection from the bodilyexudates. Furthermore, current absorbent articles do not provide fullflexibility with fastener systems. Premature or NAS babies may benefitfrom unconventional fastening system requirements. Further, the currentabsorbent articles do not provide all of the features that premature orNAS baby caregivers may view as beneficial. As such, absorbent articlesfor premature babies, NAS babies, other babies, and other wearers needto be improved.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides configurable absorbent articles suitablefor premature and NAS babies (and other small infants, other babies, orother wearers), while not being limited to any certain sizes or uses. Asdiscussed above, one issue with current absorbent articles is that theyare not configured for the specific needs of premature or NAS babies, insome instances, forcing nurses to handle these babies more than thenurses' desire. The configurable absorbent articles having removablefastening members of the present disclosure overcome the disadvantagesof current premature and/or NAS baby absorbent articles by providingvery narrow crotch regions, narrow chassis regions, small overalldimensions, soft skin-contacting surfaces, front and back umbilical cordnotches (in some forms to create a reversible absorbent article), frontand back reverse umbilical cord projections (in some forms to create areversible absorbent article), discrete and removable fastening members(to allow nurses to configure the absorbent articles as needed and havefastening flexibility), one or more wetness guards, and/or low opacityouter cover nonwovens and/or backsheets, for example. The discrete andremovable fastening members may have slots or apertures formed therein,so that tubes or hoses used to aid or monitor the health of thepremature or NAS babies may be inserted therethrough without disturbingthe baby or without the need for moving the baby. These slots orapertures may also help hold the tubes or hoses in place. Low opacitybacksheets and/or outer cover nonwoven materials may be helpful inidentifying when the absorbent article needs changed without the needfor moving the babies. In some forms, the configurable absorbentarticles of the present disclosure may allow for use without anyfastening members, owing to the discrete and removable fasteningmembers. This may be desired by nurses in some instances and may reducethe need to touch or move the baby. Furthermore, the absorbent articlesof the present disclosure may also be reversible to allow the nurse toapply the absorbent article as he/she desires or as is needed. Absorbentmaterials in absorbent cores of the absorbent articles may behomogeneous to allow for reversible use. Further, the absorbent coresmay have an extended hourglass shape to help narrow the crotch regionand provide for more fit options and leg placements.

The absorbent articles of the present disclosure may comprise one ormore wetness guards. The wetness guards may comprise one or more liquidimpermeable materials, such as films or nonwoven materials, and one ormore non-film materials, such as one or more nonwoven materials. Thewetness guards may be positioned in areas of the absorbent articles thatcome into contact with a baby's lower back, waist, and/or legs, but notbe positioned where a crotch area of the baby contacts the absorbentarticle. The non-film material may face toward the baby to providecomfort, while the liquid impermeable material may face away from thebaby. The wetness guards may accomplish at least two functions. First,when a baby urinates, the urine is typically wicked away from the pointof entry into the absorbent core throughout the absorbent core (bothlaterally and longitudinally). This may cause areas of the absorbent padwhere the baby's lower back, waist, and/or legs are to be wet. Thewetness guards provide a barrier between the wet areas and the baby'slower back, waist, and/or legs thereby leading to improved skin healthfor the baby. Second, the wetness guards may comprise soft non-filmmaterials facing the baby's skin. As such, the baby's lower back, waist,and/or legs may rest on a soft, comfortable material again leading toimproved skin health.

The fully removable fastening members may allow caregivers to attach andremove the fasteners as desired at any orientation and/or at any angle.For example, the fully removable fastening members may attach tothemselves (or to each other—overlapping fasteners) or may be attachedto any portion of a garment-facing surface of the configurable absorbentarticles and to any other portion of the garment-facing surface of theconfigurable absorbent articles. This provides caregivers with greatflexibility for various scenarios of how an absorbent article would befastened on a premature or NAS infant, which may be quite different thanconventional taped diapers. The fully removable fastening members mayhave certain stretch characteristics to allow for attachment withoutmoving the infant. For example, if the fully removable fastening memberis provided already having a first fastener removably attached to theback waist region of the absorbent article, a caregiver may need tostretch the removable fastening member so that the second fastener maybe fastened. The removable fastener member should be stretchable enoughso that upon application of a pulling force to the fastener, the infantdoes not move or slide. Stated another way, the removable fasteningmembers should allow for a great deal of stretch at a low force so thatthe caregiver can easily pull on the removable fastening member andfasten the second fastener without disturbing or sliding the infant. Inaddition to stretch, the removable fastening members, in certainconfigurations, may have a length that prevents, or at least inhibits,fastener to skin engagement to protect the skin of the infant wearer.

Additionally, owing to the fact that the fastening members are removableand attachable as desired, a waist or hip circumference of variouslysized infants may easily be fit properly with the same absorbentarticle. Stated another way, the absorbent articles of the presentdisclosure comprising one or two fully removable fastening members allowa waist opening of the absorbent articles to be significantly adjustablefrom a very small size to a larger size. This is important in thepremature and NAS baby context in that these babies are in a variety ofsizes of development and have various waist opening requirements forvarious conditions.

Absorbent articles for premature and NAS babies have certainrequirements to provide adequate fit and comfort to the babies. There ismore to making absorbent articles for premature and NAS babies thansimply making conventional diapers smaller. In fact, the inventors havefound that certain ratios of various product features, in combinationwith the removable fastening members of the present disclosure, providea better fit, while still providing comfort to the babies.

These and other advantages of the configurable absorbent articles havingremovable fastening members of the present disclosure are set forthherein in greater detail.

The various absorbent articles may be placed in packages. The packagesmay be sold in arrays or on-line arrays.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as formingthe present invention, it is believed that the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description which is taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which the designations are used todesignate substantially identical elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example absorbent of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the absorbent article of FIG. 2, garment-facingsurface facing the viewer;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the absorbent article of FIG. 2,taken about line 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an example absorbent core for the absorbentarticles of the present disclosure having an extended hourglass shape;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of another absorbent article of the presentdisclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer;

FIG. 7 is a left side view of an example absorbent article comprising adiscrete fastening member of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is another left side view of an example absorbent article of thepresent disclosure without a discrete fastening member;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an example absorbent article of thepresent disclosure comprising crotch folds created by crotch narrowingjoints;

FIG. 9A is a plan view of an example absorbent of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure illustrating crotch notches;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer, and comprising twowetness guards;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an example absorbent article of thepresent disclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer, andillustrating wetness guards;

FIG. 13 a is plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer, and illustratingtwo wetness guard configurations;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer, and illustratingtwo wetness guard configurations;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of an example discrete wetness guard for use withthe absorbent article of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure, wearer-facing surface facing the viewer, and illustratingtwo wetness guard configurations;

FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of how the sleeve type wetness guardof FIG. 16 would surround a portion of an absorbent article;

FIG. 18 is a plan view of an example of a discrete fastening member foran absorbent article of the present disclosure, garment-facing surfacefacing the viewer;

FIG. 19 is a plan view of an example of a discrete fastening member foran absorbent article of the present disclosure, wearer-facing surfacefacing the viewer;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the discrete fastening member takenabout line 20-20 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a plan view of an example of a discrete fastening member foran absorbent article of the present disclosure, garment-facing surfacefacing the viewer;

FIG. 22 is a plan view of an example of a discrete fastening member foran absorbent article of the present disclosure, wearer-facing surfacefacing the viewer;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure having umbilical cord notches;

FIG. 24 is a plan view of the example absorbent article of FIG. 23,garment-facing surface facing the viewer;

FIG. 25 is a plan view of an example absorbent article of the presentdisclosure having umbilical cord projections;

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the example absorbent article of FIG. 25,garment-facing surface facing the viewer;

FIGS. 27-29 are schematic illustrations of absorbent articles showinggraphics and/or indicia, with their garment-facing surfaces facing theviewer;

FIG. 30 is a plan view of an example insert positioned on awearer-facing surface of an absorbent article;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of an example insert for use with an absorbentarticle;

FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional example illustration of the insert, takenabout line 32-32 of FIG. 31;

FIG. 32A is another cross-sectional example illustration of the insert,taken about line 32A-32A of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is a plan view of another example insert for use with anabsorbent article;

FIG. 34 is a plan view of another example insert for use with anabsorbent article;

FIG. 35 is a plan view of an example absorbent article, wearer-facingsurface facing the viewer;

FIG. 36 is a perspective side view photograph of an example absorbentarticle;

FIG. 37 is an example plan view of an absorbent core of an absorbentarticle;

FIG. 38 is an example plan view of an absorbent core of an absorbentarticle;

FIG. 39 is a top view of a waist opening circumference of an absorbentarticle with one removable fastening member attached;

FIG. 40 is a top view of a waist opening circumference of an absorbentarticle with one removable fastening member attached;

FIG. 41 is a top view of a waist opening circumference of an absorbentarticle with one removable fastening member attached;

FIG. 42 is a top view of a waist opening circumference of an absorbentarticle with two removable fastening members attached;

FIG. 42A is a top view of a waist opening circumference of an absorbentarticle with two removable fastening members attached;

FIG. 43 is a top view of a waist opening circumference of an absorbentarticle with two removable fastening members attached;

FIG. 44 is a plan view of an example of a portion of a removablefastening member comprising a fastener;

FIG. 45 is a plan view of an example of a discrete landing zoneconfigured to receive the fastener of FIG. 44;

FIG. 46 is a plan view of an example of a portion of a removablefastening member comprising a fastener;

FIG. 47 is a plan view of an example of a discrete landing zoneconfigured to receive the fastener of FIG. 46;

FIG. 48 is a plan view of an example of a portion of a removablefastening member comprising a fastener; and

FIG. 49 is a plan view of an example of a discrete landing zoneconfigured to receive the fastener of FIG. 48.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting forms of the present disclosure will now bedescribed to provide an overall understanding of the principles of thestructure, function, manufacture, and use of the configurable absorbentarticles having removable fastening members disclosed herein. One ormore examples of these non-limiting forms are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the configurable absorbent articles having removablefastening members specifically described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings are non-limiting example forms and that the scopeof the various non-limiting forms of the present disclosure are definedsolely by the claims. The features illustrated or described inconnection with one non-limiting form may be combined with the featuresof other non-limiting forms. Such modifications and variations areintended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the terms “join” and “joined” encompass configurationswhereby an element is directly secured to another element by affixingthe element directly to the other element, and configurations whereby anelement is indirectly secured to another element by affixing the elementto intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the otherelement.

As used herein, the term “array” means a display of packages comprisingdisposable absorbent articles of different sizes having like articleconstructions. Packages for the absorbent articles have the same brandand/or sub-brand, and the packages are oriented in proximity to eachother in a given area of a retail store. An array is marketed as aline-up of products normally having like packaging elements (e.g.,packaging material type, film, paper, dominant color, design theme,etc.) that conveys to consumers that the different individual packagesare part of a larger line-up. Arrays often have the same brand, forexample, “Pampers®.” In other instances, the arrays may have brands fromthe same manufacturer, such as “Pampers®” and “Luvs®”, for example.

Arrays also often have the same trademarks, including trademarks of thebrand, sub-brand, and/or features and/or benefits across a line-up.

As used herein, the term “on-line array” means an “array” distributed bya common on-line source.

Configurable absorbent articles that provide improved fit, more flexibleapplication options, narrow crotch regions, bodily exudate containmentand improved skin health for premature, NAS, and other babies (or otherwearers) are provided herein. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an absorbentarticle 10 folded about its lateral axis, garment-facing surface of afirst waist region or a front waist region facing the viewer. FIG. 2 isa plan view of the absorbent article 10 of FIG. 1, with the absorbentarticle 10 laid flat with the elastics extended, wearer-facing surfacefacing the viewer. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the absorbent article 10 ofFIG. 2, with the absorbent article 10 laid flat with the elasticsextended, garment-facing surface facing the viewer. FIG. 4 is across-sectional view of the absorbent article 10 of FIG. 2, taken aboutline 4-4. The absorbent article 10 may comprise a lateral axis 12, alongitudinal axis 14, a first waist region or a front waist region 16, asecond waist region or a back waist region 18, and a crotch region 20.In a reversible absorbent article, the “first” and “second” waistregions 16 and 18 may be referred to in the claims since the absorbentarticle can be applied in either direction. The absorbent article 10 mayhave a first wetness guard 22 and a second wetness guard 24. In someinstances, only one wetness guard may be provided on the absorbentarticles of the present disclosure. The single wetness guard may beprovided on either side of the lateral axis 12 of the absorbent articles10. The absorbent articles 10 may also comprise cuffs 26 or raisedbarriers for containing bodily exudates so that they may be absorbed byan absorbent core.

The absorbent articles 10 may comprise a first end edge 28 on a firstside of the lateral axis 12 and a second end edge 30 on a second side ofthe lateral axis 12. The absorbent articles 10 may comprise a first sideedge 32 on 7 a first side of the central longitudinal axis 14 and asecond side edge 34 on a second side of the central longitudinal axis14. The absorbent articles 10 may comprise a liquid permeable materialor liquid permeable topsheet 36, a liquid impermeable material or liquidimpermeable backsheet 38, and an absorbent core 40 positioned at leastpartially intermediate the topsheet 36 and the backsheet 38.

The topsheet 36, the backsheet 38, and the absorbent core 40 may bemanufactured of any suitable materials. Suitable topsheet materials maycomprise porous foams, reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, orwoven or nonwoven webs of natural fibers (e.g., wood or cotton fibers),synthetic fibers (e.g., polyester or polypropylene fibers),non-apertured material, apertured materials, apertured nonwovenmaterials, apertured nonwoven materials that are produced using anoverbonding and ring rolling process, or a material having a combinationof natural and synthetic fibers. Spunbond high loft materials may alsobe used, whether apertured or non-apertured. The topsheet 36 may have anembossed pattern, graphics, patterned, indicia, and/or three-dimensionalfeatures, either along with or instead of apertures. In some instances,the topsheet 36 may be a planar topsheet. In other instances, thetopsheet may be a topsheet like that disclosed in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2015/0250662, to Isele et al., filed on Mar.2, 2015 or in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0136014, toArora et al., filed on Nov. 5, 2015. The topsheet may be hydrophobic orhydrophilic. If the topsheet is apertured, it may be desirably to havethe topsheet by hydrophobic.

Suitable backsheet materials may comprise breathable materials or highlybreathable materials that permit vapors to escape from the absorbentarticle 10 while still preventing, or at least inhibiting, bodilyexudates from passing through the backsheet 34 (i.e., liquid impermeablematerials). Such materials may comprise nonwoven materials, wovenmaterials, films, and/or laminates comprising a combination of one ormore of these materials. Other backsheet materials may be non-breathablematerials, such as films, for example.

One measure of the breathability of a backsheet or backsheet/outer covernonwoven material laminate is the perviousness of the backsheet or thelaminate to the passage of water vapor, reflected by the moisture vaportransmission rate (MVTR) of the backsheet or laminate. The MVTR of thelaminate or backsheet may be in the range of about 500 g/m²/24 hr toabout 5000 g/m²/24 hr, about 1000 g/m²/24 hr to about 4000 g/m²/24 hr,or about 2000 g/m²/24 hr to about 3000 g/m²/24 hr, specifically recitingall 0.1 g/m²/24 hr increments within the above-referenced ranges and allranges formed therein or thereby.

The MVTR can be determined by placing a quantity of a hydrophilicmaterial, such as calcium chloride, into a non-porous, open-top vessel(not shown) having an outwardly-extending flange around the vesselopening. A portion of the material for which the MVTR is to bedetermined is placed in overlying relationship relative to the vesselopening and is in contact with the flange of the vessel to completelycover the open end of the vessel. An annular gasket and an annularretaining ring are then placed over the material to be tested and aresecurely clamped to the vessel flange by any convenient clampingarrangement, to tightly and completely seal the periphery of the vesselopening in order that transmission of air or moisture vapor can onlyoccur through the material being tested. The resulting assembly is thenweighed to determine the initial weight of the vessel and its contents.

After the initial weight has been determined, the assembly is placed ina chamber having a constant temperature (40° C.) and a constant humidity(75% relative humidity). The vessel is maintained under thoseatmospheric conditions for a period of five (5) hours, after which it isremoved from the chamber, wrapped tightly with an impervious film toprevent transfer of moisture into and out of the vessel, and is allowedto reach thermal equilibrium with the ambient atmosphere in which theweigh balance is located. Thermal equilibrium is achieved in about 30minutes, after which the film overwrap is removed from the vessel, whichis again weighed to determine the final weight of the vessel and itscontents.

The MVTR is calculated by the following formula, which provides the MVTRin g/m²/24 hr:

${MVTR} = \frac{( {{{Final}\mspace{14mu}{{Wt}({gm})}} - {{Initial}\mspace{14mu}{{Wt}({gm})}}} ) \times 24.0}{{Sample}\mspace{14mu}{Area}\mspace{11mu}( {{sq}.\mspace{11mu}{meters}} ) \times 5.0\mspace{11mu}{{hr}.}}$

A suitable absorbent core 40 for use in the absorbent articles 10 of thepresent disclosure may comprise any absorbent material 42 which isgenerally compressible, conformable, non-irritating to the wearer'sskin, and capable of absorbing and retaining bodily exudates. Inaddition, the configuration and construction of the absorbent core 40may also be varied (e.g., the absorbent core(s) or other absorbentstructure(s) may have varying caliper zones, hydrophilic gradient(s), asuperabsorbent gradient(s), or lower average density and lower averagebasis weight acquisition zones; or may comprise one or more layers orstructures). In other instances, the configuration and construction ofthe absorbent core 40 may be uniform and homogeneous, such that theabsorbent article 10 can be reversible. In such an instance, theabsorbent material 42 may be uniform and homogeneous (i.e., notprofiled). In some forms, the absorbent core 40 may have an hourglassshape, an extended hourglass shape, or rectangular shape, for example.FIG. 5 is a plan view of an example absorbent core 40 having an extended(extended about the longitudinal axis 14) hourglass shape. In aninstance, the absorbent material 42 may have an hourglass shape and theabsorbent core 40 may be rectangular (i.e., the core bag is rectangularand the absorbent material 42 has an hourglass shape). The absorbentmaterial 42 and/or the absorbent core 40 as a whole (including the corebag) may have a first width, in a direction parallel to the lateral axis12, in the first waist region 16, may have a second width, in thedirection parallel to the lateral axis 12, in the second waist region18, and may have a third width, in the direction parallel to the lateralaxis 12, in the crotch region 20. The first and second widths may begreater than the third width. The first and second widths may be thesame, substantially the same, or different. In some instances, theabsorbent material 42 may have the shape illustrated in FIG. 5 that isthen surrounded by a rectangular core bag.

The absorbent material 42 may comprise superabsorbent polymers, co-form,foams (including but not limited to High Internal Phase Emulsion foams),air-felt (cellulosic material), or mixtures thereof. In some forms theabsorbent material 42 may comprise less than 30%, less than 35%, lessthan 40%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 75%, at least 80%, atleast 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 97%, at least 98%, atleast 99%, or 100% superabsorbent polymers, by weight of the absorbentmaterial. In other forms, the absorbent material 42 may only compriseair-felt and may be free of, or substantially free of (e.g., less than5% by weight of the absorbent material) any superabsorbent polymers. Theabsorbent material 42 may have air-felt and less than 15% ofsuperabsorbent polymers, less than 10% of superabsorbent polymers, lessthan 5% of superabsorbent polymers, less than 3% of superabsorbentpolymers, or less than 1% of superabsorbent polymers. In other forms,the absorbent material 42 may comprise a mixture of air-felt andsuperabsorbent polymers (e.g., 30% to 70% air-felt and 30% to 70%superabsorbent polymers).

Referring to FIG. 4, the absorbent material 42 may be enclosed in a corebag 44. The core bag 44 may comprise a first substrate 46 at leastpartially on a first side of the absorbent material 42 and a secondsubstrate 48 at least partially on a second side of the absorbentmaterial 42. The first substrate 46 may form a C-wrap around portions ofthe absorbent material 42 and the second material 48 to enclose theabsorbent material 42. In other instances, the core wrap may have anysuitable configuration known to those of skill in the art. In someforms, the absorbent core 40 may comprise one or more absorbent materialfree areas or channels, or substantially absorbent material free areas(e.g., areas with substantially no superabsorbent polymers or air-felt).In this instance, the first substrate 46 may be joined, bonded, or gluedto the second substrate 48 in these areas or channels. In other forms,channels may be embossed into the absorbent core 40. Some examplechannel and absorbent core configurations are described in furtherdetail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,979,815, 9,216,118, and 9,216,116.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the absorbent articles 10 may comprise oneor more acquisition materials 50. The absorbent articles 10 may alsocomprise one or more optional distribution materials 51 (FIG. 4) eitherbetween the topsheet 32 and the acquisition material 50 or between theacquisition material 50 and core bag 44. In some instance, theacquisition material 50 and/or the distribution material 51 may extendthe full width and/or length of the core bag 44. In other instances, theacquisition material 50 and/or distribution material 51 may extend lessthan the full width and/or length of the core bag 44. The acquisitionmaterial 50 or the distribution material 51 may have a rectangularshape, an hourglass shape, or an extended hourglass shape, for example.The acquisition material 50 may be used to aid the topsheet 36 inacquiring bodily exudates and moving the bodily exudates into theabsorbent core 40. The distribution material 51, if provided, may helpthe absorbent articles 10 distribute bodily exudates above the absorbentcore 40. As an example, the acquisition material may be a nonwovenmaterial and the distribution material may be cross-linked cellulosicfibers, tissue, or another nonwoven material, for example. In someinstances, only an acquisition material may be provided, only adistribution may be provided, or neither may be provided depending onthe desired properties of a particular absorbent article.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the pair of cuffs 26 may extend at leastpartially between, or fully between, the first end edge 28 and thesecond end edge 30. The cuffs 26 may or may not have one or moreelastics 52. In some instances, if the cuffs 26 do not have elastics 52they may be pre-strained prior to being joined to the absorbent articles10 so that they may still stand (i.e., extend upwardly) relative to thetopsheet 36. In other instances, the cuffs 26 that are free of elasticsmay not be pre-strained. In some instances, only a single pair of cuffsmay be provided to aid in helping narrow the crotch region 20. In someforms, referring to FIG. 6, a second pair of cuffs 27 may be provided inaddition to the first pair of cuffs 26. In an instance, the second pairof cuffs 27 may be free of elastics and may or may not be pre-strained.In other instances, each of the cuffs 26 or 27 may have one or moreelastics 52 and 53, respectively. The elastics 52 and/or 53 may causethe cuffs to stand (i.e., extend upwardly) relative to the topsheet 36.The elastics 52 and 53 may have any suitable length along thelongitudinal axis 14. In a form, the cuffs 26 (or 27) may each havethree longitudinally extending folds (labeled F in FIG. 4) to allow themto stand and extend a suitable distance from the topsheet 36. Glue orbonding of the cuffs is indicated at 54 in FIG. 4. In other forms, thecuffs 26 or 27 may have any suitable configuration. The cuffs generallyaid bodily exudate containment to the area of the absorbent core 40 andreduce side edge leakage. Contracted and/or standing portions of thecuffs 26 and/or 27 may be more prominent on a first side of the lateralaxis 12 or the second side of the lateral axis 14. In other instances,the contracted and/or standing portions of the cuffs 26 and/or 27 may bethe same on both sides of the central lateral axis 12. In someinstances, the cuffs 26 and/or 27 may extend the same distance on eachside of the central lateral axis 12. In some instances, the absorbentarticles 10 may not comprise any cuffs.

In other instances, the absorbent articles 10 may not comprise anycuffs, but some form of raised barriers may be used in their place. Apair of raised barriers may be attached to the topsheet 36, positionedunder the topsheet 36, or formed from a portion of the topsheet 36and/or acquisition or distribution materials. The raised barriers maycomprise flexible foams, liquid impermeable materials, nonwovenmaterials, films, and/or other suitable materials. The raised barriersmay be “raised” relative to the topsheet 36 and may act in a similarfashion as the cuffs 26 and 27, thereby causing bodily exudates toremain over the absorbent core 40 such that they can be absorbed by theabsorbent core 40. The raised barriers may have any suitable thicknessmeasured in a direction parallel to the lateral axis 12, such as 2 mm to10 mm, for example. In some instances, one raised barrier may beprovided and this single raised barrier may fully surround, or partiallysurround, the absorbent core 40 or portions thereof. The raised barriersmay be raised a suitable amount from the topsheet 36 to contain thebodily exudates within the absorbent articles 10, such as in the rangeof 1 mm to 30 mm, or 2 mm to 20 mm, for example. Further detailsregarding raised barriers, including example structures and shape can befound in U.S. Patent Application. Publ. No. 2014/0171898 to Greening II,et al. The raised barriers may be used with at least one pair of cuffsas well for better containment. The cuffs may be positioned laterallyinboard or laterally outboard of the raised barriers. The raisedbarriers or the cuffs 26, 27 may be referred to as “bodily exudatecontainment means”.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, an outer cover nonwoven material 58 maybe positioned on a non-absorbent core-facing side of the backsheet 38.The outer cover nonwoven material 58 may be joined to the backsheet 38using an adhesive 56, for example. The outer cover nonwoven material 58may be formed of one or more layers and typically may be a softmaterial. The outer cover nonwoven material 58 may comprise a pluralityof bonds, embossments, or three-dimensional features to provide a moreconsumer appealing appearance or for other reasons.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the absorbent article of FIG. 1 with afastening member 100. FIG. 8 is a side view of the absorbent article ofFIG. 1 without the fastening member 100. FIG. 9 is a perspective view ofthe absorbent article of FIG. 1, garment-facing surface facing theviewer.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 6-9, the absorbent articles 10 of thepresent disclosure may comprise a pair of crotch narrowing joints 60 inthe crotch region 20. In other forms, only one side of the crotch region20 may comprise a crotch narrowing joint 60. The crotch narrowing joints60 may be created when a wearer-facing portion of the outer covernonwoven material 58 or a wearer-facing portion of the cuffs 26 or 27(if a second set of cuffs is provided) is joined to a standing portionor other portion of the cuffs 26 or 27 (if a second set of cuffs isprovided) or to a portion of the topsheet 36. The joint may be anadhesive bond, a mechanical bond, a thermal bond, and/or any othersuitable type of bond, or joinder. In other instances, the crotchnarrowing joints 60 may be formed by joining a wearer-facing portion ofthe backsheet 38 (or laminate comprising the backsheet 38 and outercover nonwoven material 58) to a portion of the cuffs 26 or 27 or to aportion of the topsheet 36. In any event, portions of the outer covernonwoven material 58 proximate to the first and second side edges 32 and34 may be joined directly or indirectly to a portion of the cuffs 26 or27 or a portion of the topsheet 36. By providing these crotch narrowingjoints 60, the absorbent articles 10 are able to achieve a narrow foldedcrotch width, (“W” in FIG. 1) at or proximate to the lateral axis 12.This narrow folded crotch width may be especially important forpremature babies for a number of reasons. First, smaller babies haveless space in between their legs. Thus, the smaller the folded crotchwidth, the better the absorbent articles will fit them without applyingany leg separating forces on their legs, thereby allowing the legs torest in a comfortable position, such as near the body midline, forexample. Second, in a typical diaper, the inner thigh areas of the legsof the baby may be in contact with portions of the cuffs and/or thebacksheet. In the absorbent articles 10 of the present disclosure thebaby's inner thigh areas may be in contact with portions of the cuffs 26and/or 27 and portions of the soft outer cover nonwoven material 58,thereby providing a more comfortable wearer experience and at timesreducing inner thigh chafing.

Referring to FIGS. 7-9, the crotch narrowing joints 60 cause portions ofthe crotch region 20 to fold inwardly toward the longitudinal axis 14,when the elastics of the cuffs are at least partially relaxed, therebycreating crotch folds 61. Referring to FIG. 1, these crotch folds 61provide for the narrow folded crotch width W. The crotch folds 61 alsoprovide the absorbent article 10 with angled portions 63 in the crotchregion 20. The angled portions 63 may have an angle in the range ofabout 10 degrees to about 80 degrees, about 15 degrees to about 75degrees, about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees, about 30 degrees to about60 degrees, about 40 degrees to about 60 degrees, relative to thelateral axis 12, specifically reciting all 0.1 degree increments withinthe specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. Allangles are measured according to the Folded Crotch Angle Test herein.

Referring to FIG. 5, in addition to the crotch narrowing joints 60, theabsorbent core 40 may have an extended hourglass shape with leg notches62 elongated in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 14. Thisfeature allows for the legs (“L”) to be positioned at multiple locationswithin the leg notches 62 to fit different wearers and situations. Thelegs of a wearer, for example, may be positioned more proximate to afirst end edge 41 or more proximate to a second end edge 43 of theabsorbent core 40 to suit certain situations or positions of the baby.As referenced above, the acquisition materials 50 and/or distributionmaterials 51 may have a similar shape or a different shape. Theabsorbent core 40 may have a width measured along its lateral axis 12′in the range of about 5 mm to about 300 mm, about 10 to about 100 mm,about 15 mm to about 75 mm, about 15 mm to about 40 mm, about 15 mm toabout 25 mm, or about 20 mm, specifically reciting all 0.1 mm incrementswithin the specified range and all ranges formed therein or thereby. Theabsorbent core 40 may have a width measured along either the first endedge 41 or the second end edge 43 in the range of about 15 mm to about500 mm, about 20 mm to about 300 mm, about 25 mm to about 100 mm, about30 mm to about 50 mm, about 35 mm to about 40 mm, or about 38 mm,specifically reciting all 0.1 mm increments within the specified rangeand all ranges formed therein or thereby.

In some forms, referring to FIG. 10, instead of the crotch narrow jointsbeing provided, crotch notches 64 may be cut out of the absorbentarticles 10, absorbent cores 40 thereof, and/or other components thereof(e.g., acquisition material 50) in areas proximate to the lateral axis12. In other forms, the crotch notches 64 may instead be formed incomponents of the absorbent articles before or during manufacture. Thecrotch notches 64 may have any suitable size and shape to achieve anarrow folded crotch width. Some example shapes are illustrated in FIG.10. The crotch notches 64 may be formed in the topsheet, the backsheet,the acquisition material, the outer cover nonwoven material, and/orportions of the cuffs, for example. The crotch notches 64 may be usedwith the hourglass or extended hourglass shaped absorbent coresdisclosed herein. The acquisition material 50 and/or distributionmaterial may also be hourglass shaped, for example. The crotch notches64 may be cut out so that a chassis of the absorbent article ishourglass shaped, or has an extended (along the longitudinal axis 14)hourglass shape.

The crotch narrowing joints 60 may be an optional feature. It has beendiscovered that a narrow Folded Crotch Width, in some instances, maystill be achieved even without the crotch narrowing joints 60. Thisnarrow Folded Crotch Width may be attributable to the elongatedhourglass shapes of the absorbent core (see FIG. 5) in combination withelastic contraction from at least one pair of leg cuffs 26, and possiblyfrom two pairs of leg cuffs 26 and 27. In such an instance, theabsorbent article, in a folded configuration, may take on the exampleshape of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9A illustrates the narrow Folded Crotch Width as“W”.

The folded crotch width, (i.e., W in FIG. 1) measured according to theFolded Crotch Width Test herein, may be less than about 150 mm, lessthan about 100 mm, less than about 75 mm, less than about 50 mm, lessthan about 45 mm, less than about 50 mm, less than about 40 mm, lessthan about 35 mm, less than about 30 mm, less than about 25 mm, lessthan about 20 mm, or less than about 15 mm, depending on the size of theabsorbent article 10. The folded crotch width, measured according to theFolded Crotch Width Test herein, may be in the range of about 10 mm toabout 150 mm, about 10 mm to about 100 mm, about 10 mm to about 75 mm,about 15 mm to about 50 mm, about 15 mm to about 45 mm, less than 45 mm,less than 40 mm, less than 35 mm, about 20 mm to about 40 mm, about 25mm to about 35 mm, or about 15 mm to about 30 mm, for example,specifically reciting all 0.1 mm increments within the above-specifiedranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby.

As discussed above, referring to FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 11, one or morewetness guards 22, 24 may be provided on the absorbent article 10. Ingeneral, the wetness guards 22 and 24 are provided to establish abarrier between the lower back, waist, and/or legs of the baby andportions of the topsheet 36 that are soiled with bodily exudates. Afirst wetness guard 22 may be positioned on the first side of thecentral lateral axis 12 and a second wetness guard 24 may be positionedon the second side of the central lateral axis 12. As mentionedpreviously, only one wetness guard (either 22 or 24) may be provided incertain absorbent articles 10. In some forms, other wetness guards mayalso be provided either in addition to the wetness guards 22 and 24, orin lieu of them. As an example, some wetness guards may extendlongitudinally at least partially between the first end edge 28 and thesecond end edge 30. The wetness guards 22 and 24 may have any suitablewidth (measured in a direction parallel to the central lateral axis 12)and the length (measured in a direction parallel to the centrallongitudinal axis 14). In some instances, the wetness guards 22 and 24may have a first width and the absorbent articles 10 may have a secondwidth. The first width may be the same as or different than (larger orsmaller) than the second width. For example, a wetness guard may onlyextend intermediate the cuffs 26 or the cuffs 27 and not extend all theway to the first and second side edges 32 and 34. In some instances, oneof the wetness guards 22 or 24 may have a first width and the other ofthe wetness guards 22 or 24 may have a second width. The first andsecond widths may be the same or different. In some instances, one ofthe wetness guards 22 or 24 may have a first length (measured in aparallel to the central longitudinal axis 14) and the other of thewetness guards 22 or 24 may have a second length. The first and secondlengths may be the same or different. The first wetness guard 22 mayhave a longer length than the second wetness guard 24, or vice versa. Insome instances, the wetness guards 22 and 24 may have the same lengthsuch that the absorbent article 10 may be reversible. The first wetnessguard 22 may overlap a first portion of the absorbent core and thesecond wetness guard 24 may overlap a second portion of the absorbentcore.

Referring to FIG. 11, the first wetness guard 22 may have a first end 66and a second end 68. The first end 66 may be positioned proximate to thefirst end edge 28 of the absorbent article 10. The second end 68 may bepositioned intermediate the first end edge 28 and the lateral axis 12.Although the second end 68 of the first wetness guard 22 is illustratedas being straight, it may also be concave or convex relative to thelateral axis 12 or may have any other suitable shape. The first wetnessguard 22 may be positioned over at least a portion of the topsheet 36and may overlap or cross the longitudinal axis 14. In other instances,the wetness guard 22 may be positioned over a portion of the topsheet 36and portions of the cuffs 26, 27 or the raised barriers.

Again referring to FIG. 11, a first portion 70 of the first wetnessguard 22 may be joined to the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers, thetopsheet 36, and/or the backsheet 38 proximate to the first end edge 28of the absorbent article 10. A second portion 72 of the first wetnessguard 22 may be joined to the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers, thetopsheet 36, and/or the backsheet 38 proximate to the first side edge 32of the absorbent article 10. A third portion 74 of the first wetnessguard 22 may be joined to the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers, thetopsheet 36, and/or the backsheet 38 proximate to the second side edge34 of the absorbent article 10. The joining may comprise usingmechanical joining or adhesive joining, for example. The joining may beintermittent or continuous. Through this joining, referring to FIG. 12,the second end 68 may be free of attachment to the topsheet 36, thecuffs 26, 27, and the raised barrier such that a pocket, 71, is createdat least between a non-wearer-facing surface of the first wetness guard22 and the topsheet 36. In other instances, the second end 68 may bejoined to, or partially joined to, the topsheet 36, the cuffs 26, 27,and/or the raised barriers, for example. A pocket may also be created bythe second wetness guard 24 in a similar fashion as the pocket 71 of thewetness guard 22.

Still referring to FIG. 11, the second wetness guard 24 may have a firstend 76 and a second end 78. The first end 76 may be positioned proximateto the second end edge 30 of the absorbent article 10. The second end 78may be positioned intermediate the second end edge 30 and the lateralaxis 12. Although the second end 78 of the second wetness guard 24 isillustrated as being straight, it may also be concave or convex relativeto the lateral axis 12 or may have any other suitable shape. The secondwetness guard 24 may be positioned over at least a portion of thetopsheet 36 and may overlap or cross the longitudinal axis 14. In otherinstances, the wetness guard 24 may be positioned over the portion ofthe topsheet 36 and portions of the cuffs 26, 27 or the raised barriers.

A first portion 80 of the second wetness guard 24 may be joined to thecuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers 56, the topsheet 36, and/or thebacksheet 38 proximate to the second end edge 30 of the absorbentarticle 10. A second portion 82 of the second wetness guard 24 may bejoined to the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers, the topsheet 36, and/orthe backsheet 38 proximate to the first side edge 32 of the absorbentarticle 10. A third portion 84 of the second wetness guard 22 may bejoined to the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers, the topsheet 36, and/orthe backsheet 38 proximate to the second side edge 34 of the absorbentarticle 10. The joining may comprise using mechanical joining oradhesive joining, for example. The joining may be intermittent orcontinuous. Through this joining, the second end 78 may be free ofattachment to the topsheet 36, the cuffs 26, 27, and the raised barrier,such that a pocket (like pocket 71 of FIG. 12) is created at leastbetween a non-wearer-facing surface of the second wetness guard 24 andthe topsheet 36. In other instances, the second end 78 may be joined to,or partially joined to, the topsheet 36, the cuffs 26, 27, and/or theraised barriers, for example.

In other instances, the first and/or the second wetness guards 22 and 24may be joined to the topsheet 36, the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers,and/or the backsheet 38 at any suitable locations on a wearer-facingsurface of the absorbent article 10. In an instance, all, or some of theperimeters of the wetness guards 22 and 24 may be joined to thewearer-facing surface. In other instances, all or some of non-perimeterareas may be joined to the wearer-facing surface. The two wetness guards22 and 24, if both are provided, may be joined to a portion of thewearer-facing surface in the same fashion or in different fashions. Inan instance, one or both of the wetness guards 22 and 24 may be discretecomponents that are not joined to the absorbent article 10 in a package,but instead are provided as a discrete component. Nurses or caregiversmay then position the wetness guard or guards on portions of thewearer-facing surface of the absorbent articles 10 as appropriate. Thewetness guards 22 and 24 may have a space between themselves and thefirst and second end edges 28 and 30. Stated another way, the mostlongitudinally outward portions of each wetness guard does not have tobe positioned on the first end edges 28 or the second end edge 30, butinstead a gap may exist, such as a 0.5 inch gap, for example.

The wetness guards 22 and 24 may have the same construction or adifferent construction. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the wetness guard 22and 24 may each comprise a laminate comprising a first liquidimpermeable material (or substantially liquid impermeable material) 86and a second liquid permeable material 88. The wetness guards may alsocomprise other liquid permeable or impermeable layers. The layers 86 and88 may be joined together in any suitable fashion, such as through theuse of an adhesive 90. The adhesive 90 may be continuous ordiscontinuous and may be slot coated or spirally applied, for example.The first liquid impermeable material 86 may comprise one or morenonwoven materials or films or a nonwoven and a film as a laminate. Thesecond liquid permeable material 88 may comprise one or more nonwovenmaterials or non-film materials. The first liquid impermeable material86 may face a portion of the topsheet 36, while the second liquidpermeable material 88 may face the wearer or form a portion of awearer-facing surface of the absorbent article. As such, the firstliquid impermeable material 86 may be used to create a barrier betweenthe portion of the topsheet 36 under the wetness guards and the secondliquid permeable material 88 to keep material 88 dry and sterile. Thesecond liquid permeable material 88 may be used to provide a lower back,waist, and/or legs of a baby with a soft, dry, sterile, and comfortingsurface. In an instance, the wetness guards 22 and 24 may comprise onlyone or more hydrophobic nonwoven materials without a liquid impermeablefilm. The hydrophobic nonwoven material(s) may be untreated, such thatit remains naturally hydrophobic. In other instances, the hydrophobicnonwoven material(s) may be treated to become more hydrophobic.

The first and second wetness guards 22 and 24 may form a crotchreceiving area 92 in the absorbent article 10. The crotch receiving area92 is the area between the two wetness guards 22 and 24 where a baby'scrotch area is positioned when the absorbent article 10 is positioned onthe baby. The crotch receiving area 92 between the first and secondwetness guards 22 and 24 may be any suitable size (length or width) fora particular size baby. A ratio of the surface area of the crotchreceiving area 92 to the wetness guards 22 and 24 (together or separateif only one is provided) may be about 7:1, about 6:1, about 5:1, about4:1, about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, or about 0.5:1, or may be in therange of about 10:1 to about 1:1, specifically reciting all 0.1increments of the ratios specified above and all ratios formed withinthe specified range. The crotch receiving area 92 may have an area inthe range of about 25 cm² to about 750 cm², about 40 cm² to about 500cm², about 50 cm² to about 400 cm², about 50 cm² to about 250 cm², about50 cm² to about 200 cm², about 50 cm² to about 150 cm², about 50 cm² toabout 100 cm², or about 60 cm² to about 80 cm², for example,specifically reciting all 0.1 cm² increments within the specified rangesand all ranges formed therein or thereby.

The absorbent article, when laid flat, elastic contraction pulled out,may have a length, in a direction parallel to a central longitudinalaxis 14, of less than 500 mm, less than 400 mm, less than 300 mm, lessthan 275 mm, but at least 100 mm. The absorbent article, when laid flat,elastic contraction pulled out, may have a width, in a directionparallel to a central lateral axis 12 of less than 200 mm, less than 150mm, less than 130 mm, less than 100 mm, but at least 50 mm.

To create the first and/or second wetness guards 22 and 24, thebacksheet 38 and the outer cover nonwoven material 58 may extend beyondthe first and second end edges 28 and 30 and be folded over thewearer-facing side of the absorbent article 10. The folded over portionsof the backsheet 38 and the outer cover nonwoven 58 may be joined to thetopsheet 36, portions of the cuffs 26, 27, the raised barriers, and/orthe backsheet 38. As such, the folded over portion of the backsheet 38may form the first liquid impermeable material 86 and the outer covernonwoven material 58 may form the second liquid permeable material 88 ofthe wetness guards 22 and 24. In other instances, the backsheet 38 andthe outer cover nonwoven material 58 may not be joined to a portion ofthe wearer-facing surface, but instead may merely be folded over thewearer-facing surface.

In another instance, the first and/or second wetness guards 22 and 24may be formed from discrete laminates each comprising the first liquidimpermeable material 86 and the second liquid impermeable material 88.These discrete laminates may be joined to the topsheet 36, portions ofthe cuffs 26, 27, portions of the raised barriers, and/or to thebacksheet 38.

The absorbent article 10 may have a wearer-facing surface area (theentire wearer-facing surface including areas of the wetness guards) inthe range of about 150 cm² to about 1,500 cm², about 175 cm² to about1,000 cm², about 200 cm² to about 800 cm², about 200 cm² to about 500cm², about 200 cm² to about 400 cm², about 200 cm² to about 300 cm²,about 200 cm² to about 250 cm², about 210 cm² to about 240 cm², or about225 cm², for example, specifically reciting all 0.1 cm² incrementswithin the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby.

The wetness guards 22 or 24 may have an area in the range of about 10cm² to about 800 cm², about 15 cm² to about 600 cm², about 15 cm² toabout 400 cm², about 20 cm² to about 300 cm², about 20 cm² to about 200cm², about 20 cm² to about 100 cm², about 20 cm² to about 75 cm², orabout 25 cm² to about 70 cm², for example, specifically reciting all 0.1cm² increments within the specified ranges and all ranges formed thereinor thereby. As mentioned above, the wetness guard 22 may have an areathat is the same or different than the wetness guard 24, if both areprovided in an absorbent article.

In another instance, referring to FIG. 13, at least one of or both ofthe wetness guards 22 and 24 may only be attached to the first side edge32, the second side edge 34, and/or a portion of the absorbent article10 proximate to one of the side edges 32 and 34, for example. In otherinstances, the wetness guards 22 and/or 24 may be attached to the outercover nonwoven material 58, the backsheet 38, the topsheet 34, one ofthe raised barriers, and/or one of the cuffs (26 or 27), for example. Insuch an instance, the wetness guard 22 in FIG. 13 may be configured tobe folded over into the position illustrated in, for example FIG. 2. Thewetness guard 24 may have a similar configuration as the illustratedwetness guard 22 or may be provided as described with reference to FIG.2. The wetness guard 22 (and/or the wetness guard 24 if provided in thesame configuration) may comprise a fastener 23, such as a plurality ofhooks or an adhesive, for example, such that when the wetness guard 22is folded over the absorbent article 10, it can be joined by thefastener 23 to a portion of the wearer-facing surface of the absorbentarticle 10. The materials of the wetness guard 22 may be the same as orsimilar to that described above.

In still other instances, referring to FIGS. 14 and 15, one or both ofthe wetness guards 22 and 24 may be a discrete component (FIG. 15) fromthe absorbent article 10 (FIG. 14) and may be configured to be placed onthe absorbent article 10, in for example, the positions illustrated inFIG. 2, or in other positions as desired by the nurse or caregiver. Insome instances, as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, one wetness guard 22may be a discrete component and the other wetness guard 24 may be joinedto the cuffs 26 (or 27), the raised barrier, the topsheet 36, and/or thebacksheet 38. The discrete wetness guard or guards may be packaged withthe absorbent articles 10 or may be packaged and/or sold separately. Thediscrete wetness guard 22 (and/or the wetness guard 24, if discrete) mayhave a first fastener 23 and a second fastener 25. The first and secondfasteners 23 and 25 may be used to join the discrete wetness guard 22 toa portion of the wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article 10 asdesired and maintain the wetness guard 22 in position during use of theabsorbent article 10. The materials of the wetness guard may be the sameas or similar to that described above.

In yet other instances, referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, at least one of,or both of, the wetness guards 22 and 24 may be provided in a sleeveform. The sleeve may be positioned on the absorbent article 10 in apackage, positioned separately from the absorbent article 10 in thepackage, or may be sold in a separate package. Once positioned on theabsorbent article, the sleeve may be moveable in the directions ofarrows 94 and 96 to allow a nurse or caregiver to position the wetnessguard 22 as desired. In some instances, as illustrated in FIG. 16, onewetness guard 24 may be joined to the wearer-facing surface and anotherwetness guard 22 may take the form of a sleeve. In some forms, thematerials of the wetness guard may be the same as or similar to thatdescribed above. In other forms, only portions of the wetness guardpositioned over the wearer-facing surface may have the wetness guardconstructions described herein, with other portions (i.e., portionswrapped around a non-wearer-facing surface 98 of the absorbent article10) being constructed of other materials, such as nonwoven materialswithout films, for example. FIG. 17 illustrates an example of how thewetness guard 22 in the form of a sleeve would surround the absorbentarticle 10.

The absorbent articles 10 of the present disclosure may have one or morefastening members. The fastening members may be fully removablefastening members 100. The fastening members may be stretch panels thatmay be discrete elements. Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the fasteningmembers 100 may each comprise a first surface 102, a second surface 104,a first end 106, and a second end 108. The first surface 102 may beopposite to the second surface 104 and the first end 106 may be oppositeto the second end 108. The fastening members 100 may comprise a firstfastener 110 configured to engage a first portion of the outer covernonwoven material 58 or a first portion of a landing zone and positionedon the first surface 102. The absorbent article 10 may be free of alanding zone. The fastening members 100 may comprise a second fastener112 configured to engage a second, different portion of the outer covernonwoven material 58 and positioned on the first surface 102. In someinstances, it may be desirable to provide the first fastening member 110on the first surface 102 and the second fastening member 112 on thesecond surface 104, so that the fastener can be folded into a loop tohold a tube, for example. The first portion of the outer cover nonwovenmaterial 58 may be in the front waist region 16, the back waist region18, or the crotch region 20. Likewise, the second portion of the outercover nonwoven material 58 may be in the front waist region 16, the backwaist region 18, or the crotch region 20. The fastener 110 may bepositioned proximate to the first end 106 and the fastener 112 may bepositioned proximate to the second end 108. In some instances, only onefully removable fastening member 100 may be provided on an absorbentarticle 10 and the other fastening member may be permanently joined tothe absorbent article on at least one of its ends.

Since the fastening members 100 are removable from the absorbent article10, they can be fastened as desired or as needed by a nurse orcaregiver. In some instances, the nurse or caregiver may remove thefastening members 100 from the absorbent article 10 and not use them ifthe baby is in a certain position, for example. In other instances, thenurse or caregiver may only use one of the fastening members 100 if thebaby is in another certain position, for example.

Referring to FIGS. 18-22, the first fastener 110 and the second fastener112 may not extend to the perimeter of the fastening members 100. Thismay help prevent, or at least inhibit, rough fastener material (e.g.,hooks) from contacting or irritating a wearer's skin. The fasteners 110and 112 are illustrated as rectangular but may be any other suitableshape, such as circular or ovate, triangular, heart-shaped, for example.In some instances, it may be desirable to have fasteners without cornersto again prevent, or at least inhibit the fasteners from at irritating awearer's skin. In a package, the first and second fasteners 110 and 112may be joined to the first surface 102 so they are at least inhibitedfrom unintentionally engaging other portions of the absorbent pads,other fastening members, and/or other items.

Referring to FIG. 20, the fastening members 100 may comprise a firstnonwoven or other substrate 114, a second or other nonwoven substrate116, and an elastic material or film 117 positioned at least partiallyintermediate the first and second substrates 114 and 116. The elasticmaterial may comprise an elastic nonwoven material, an elastic film, orelastic strands, for example. The elastic material may be apertured ormicro-apertured to promote breathability. In other instances, thefastening members may comprise one or more substrates and may notcomprise an elastic material.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, a middle portion 118 (e.g., between thefirst and second ends 106 and 108) of the fastening member 100 maydefine one or more slots 120 or apertures therein. The slots orapertures 120 may have any suitable size and/or shape. In certaininstances, premature, NAS babies, and other babies are on feeding tubes,corded monitoring device (e.g., heart rate monitor), corded life supportdevice, or the like. These tubes and cords may be positioned through theslots 120 or apertures to help hold the tubes and cords in place. Insome instances, the middle portion 118, or other portions, of thefastening member 100 may be formed of a highly breathable material, suchas a highly breathable film, nonwoven, film/nonwoven laminate, or anapertured film or apertured nonwoven material, for example.

In some countries, it may be desirable to allow air to flow to the bellybutton area after birth when a portion of the umbilical cord on the babyis drying out and/or healing. Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, a firstumbilical cord notch 122 may be defined in the first end edge 28 in thefront waist region 16 and a second umbilical cord notch 124 may bedefined in the second end edge 30 in the back waist region 18. The firstand second umbilical cord notches 122 and 124 may have any suitablesize, shape, and/or depth relative to the first and second end edges 28and 30, respectively. In some instances, only the first or the secondumbilical cord notch may be provided. The benefit of having twoumbilical cord notches is that the absorbent article 10 may be appliedwith the front waist region 16 on a front of a wearer or with the frontwaist region 16 on a back of the wearer. Stated another way, byproviding the two umbilical cord notches, the absorbent article 10 maybe reversible. The longitudinal axis 14 (see e.g., FIG. 2) may extendthrough the umbilical cord notches.

Referring to FIG. 24, first sides of the fastening members 100 may bepermanently fixed to a portion of the back waist region 18 and may notbe releasably joined to the absorbent article 10. The first side of thefastening members 100 may be permanently fixed to the portions of theback waist region 18 using one or more bonds 138, lines of adhesives, ormay be otherwise permanently fixed. Second sides of the fasteningmembers 100 may comprise fasteners used to join the second sides of thefastening member 100 to portion of the front waist region 16.Alternatively, the second sides of the fastening members 100 may bepermanently fixed to the front waist region 16 and the first sides ofthe fastening members 100 may comprise fasteners used to join the firstsides of the fastening members 100 to the back waist region 18.

In some countries, it may be desirable to cover up the belly button of ababy after birth. Referring to FIGS. 25 and 26, a first umbilical cordprojection 126 may extend from the first end edge 28 in the front waistregion 16 and a second umbilical cord projection 128 may extend from thesecond end edge 30 in the back waist region 18. The first and secondumbilical cord projections 126 and 128 may have any suitable size,shape, and/or height relative to the first and second end edges 28 and30, respectively. In some instances, only the first or the secondumbilical cord projection may be provided. The benefit of having twoumbilical cord projections is that the absorbent article 10 may beapplied with the front waist region 16 on a front of a wearer or withthe front waist region 16 on a back of the wearer. Stated another way,by providing the two umbilical cord projections, the absorbent article10 may be reversible. The longitudinal axis 14 (see e.g., FIG. 2) mayextend through the umbilical cord projections.

The umbilical cord projections may have one or more slots 130 orapertures defined therein. The slots 130 or apertures may have anysuitable size and/or shape. In certain instances, premature, NAS babies,and other babies may be on feeding tubes, corded monitoring device(e.g., heart rate monitor), or the like. These tubes and cords may bepositioned through the slots 130 or apertures to help hold the tubes andcords in place.

In some instances, no umbilical cord notches or umbilical cordprojections may be provided on an absorbent article (see e.g., FIGS. 1and 2). In still other instances, an umbilical cord notch may beprovided on a first side of the lateral axis 12 and an umbilical cordprojection may be provided on a second side of the lateral axis 12.

As mentioned above, it may be desirable to reduce contact with prematureand NAS babies as much as feasible because of their delicate body andskin. On the other hand, it is also desirable to have the absorbentarticle on the baby to be as free of bodily exudates as possible toprotect the baby's skin. In instances where the babies are positioned inincubators, conventional wetness indicators may not function adequatelyowing to the high humidity environment of the incubators. The presentdisclosure provides a way to solve these issues by providing the outercover nonwoven material 58 and/or the backsheet 38 with a low opacity.By providing the outer cover nonwoven material 58 and/or the backsheet38 with a low opacity, nurses are able to visually determine, withouttouching the baby, whether the absorbent articles need to be changed,thus not disturbing the baby if the absorbent article is not soiled orsufficiently soiled.

Either in addition to or in lieu of the low opacity outer cover nonwovenmaterial 58 and/or the backsheet 38, the absorbent article 10 maycomprise a wetness indicator 132, which may be positioned on awearer-facing side of the backsheet 38 or in other suitable locations.The wetness indicator may be visible from a wearer-facing surface or agarment-facing surface of the absorbent article 10. Thus, as bodilyexudates come into contact with the wetness indicator, the wetnessindicator may change colors or appear or disappear to indicate to nursesor caregivers that the absorbent article is soiled and needs changed. Inother instances, the wetness indicator may change colors, appear, ordisappear based on temperature changes (caused by bodily exudatesentering the absorbent article) within the absorbent article 10. Inother instances, the absorbent article 10 may be free of a wetnessindicator.

The absorbent articles 10 may comprise lotions, ointments, skinprotecting ointments, vitamins, anti-bacterial treatments,anti-microbial treatments, anti-fungal treatments, on the topsheet 36,leg cuffs 26 and/or 27, and/or other components to promote skin healthfor the baby.

FIGS. 27-29 are schematic illustrations of absorbent articles 10 withgraphics and/or indicia 134, 136 (hereafter “graphics”), with theirgarment-facing surfaces facing the viewer. The graphics 134 may be on afirst side of the central lateral axis 12 and viewable from thegarment-facing surface and the graphics 136 may be on a second side ofthe central lateral axis 12 and viewable from the garment-facing surfaceof the absorbent article 10. The graphics 134 and/or 136 may or may notcross the central longitudinal axis of the absorbent article 10. Thegraphics 134 and/or 136 may be a single graphic or multiple graphicsthat form a single image, multiple images, single patterns, or multiplepatterns. The graphics 134 may be a mirror image of the graphics 136 (ormay be the same or substantially the same), relative to the centrallateral axis 12, to indicate reversibility of the absorbent article to acaregiver or wearer. In other instances, the graphics 134 may not be amirror image of the graphics 136, relative to the central lateral axis12. Referring to FIG. 29, the graphics 134 and/or 136 may be at leastpartially comprised of brand names, characters, and/or logos. Thegraphics 134 and/or 136 may be printed on, positioned on, and/or appliedto the backsheet 38 and/or the outer cover nonwoven material 58, forexample. If the graphics 134 and 136 are on the backsheet 38, the outercover nonwoven material 58 may have an opacity such that the graphics134 and 136 are viewable therethrough. The graphics 134 and 136 may beon a garment-facing side of the backsheet 38 and/or the wearer-facingside of the backsheet 38. The graphics 134 may also be printed on, orotherwise applied to, a landing zone in the front waist region 16.Likewise, the graphics 136 may be printed on, or otherwise applied to, alanding zone in the back waist region 18. By providing two landingzones, the caregiver is able to recognize that the absorbent article 10is reversible. The landing zones may be a separate material joined tothe outer cover nonwoven material 58 or may be formed by portions of theouter cover nonwoven material 58.

By having graphics 134 and 136 that are mirror images of each other,relative to the central lateral axis 12, the absorbent article 10 may bereversible. Stated another way, a baby's (or wearer's) back waist regionmay be positioned adjacent to graphics 134 or 136 depending on how theabsorbent article 10 is donned on the baby. If the absorbent article 10is meant to be reversible, the absorbent material 42 within theabsorbent core 40, in some instances, may be uniform and homogeneous.The absorbent core 40 may also be longitudinally centered in theabsorbent article to aid in reversibility of the absorbent article. Byproviding graphics that mirror each other on opposite sides of thecentral lateral axis 12, a caregiver will quickly recognize that theabsorbent article is reversible. Further, the graphics may indicatewhere fasteners (e.g., 110, 112) may be attached (e.g., landing zone) onthe garment-facing surface to provide a caregiver with a guide as toproper application of the fasteners and, thereby, a proper applicationof the absorbent article 10.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 30-34, one or more inserts 140 may be providedfor use with the absorbent article 10. The one or more inserts 140 maybe packaged together with the absorbent article 10 or packaged and soldseparately. One or more inserts 140 and one or more absorbent articles10 may be in a kit. The one or more inserts 140 may be positioned withinthe absorbent article 10 after the absorbent article 10 is donned on thewearer or before the absorbent article 10 is donned on the wearer. Theinserts 140 essentially provide an additional absorbent containmentelement that may be used prior to soiling the absorbent article 10 orafter soiling of the absorbent article 10. The inserts 140 may beadvantageous in that the baby or wearer may not need to be fully changedand, thereby, moved or handled less, compared to if only the absorbentarticle 10 was used. Multiple inserts may be used at one time, so thatonce soiled the most wearer-facing insert may be removed. In someinstances, the inserts 140 may be fastening or joined to thewearer-facing surface of the absorbent article 10 or to a wearer-facingsurface of another insert using any suitable joining techniques. Inother instances, the inserts 140 may merely be placed on thewearer-facing surface of the absorbent article 10 or the wearer-facingsurface without some separate attachment or joining mechanism. In theseinstances, the inserts 140 may remain in place by friction or merely byweight of the baby. In some instances, at least portion of the insertsmay have low coefficients of friction to allow them to slide over aportion of a wearer-facing surface of the absorbent article 10, whenbeing inserted into the absorbent article while it is on a wearer. Theinserts are helpful as full absorbent article changes may be reduced,thereby leading to less stress on (i.e., less movement of) a baby orpremature baby.

FIG. 30 is a plan view of the insert 140 positioned on a wearer-facingsurface of an absorbent article 10 of the present disclosure. FIG. 31 isa plan view of the insert. FIG. 32 is a cross-sectional illustration ofthe insert 140 of FIG. 31, taken about line 32-32. FIG. 33 is a planview of another insert 140′. FIG. 34 is a plan view of another insert140″.

The inserts 140 may comprise a topsheet 142, an optional acquisitionmaterial and/or distribution material 144, an absorbent core 146, abacksheet 148, and optionally an outer cover nonwoven material 150. Thetopsheet 142 may be formed of one or more nonwoven materials, one ormore films, or a laminate formed of one or more nonwoven materials andone or more films. The topsheet 142 may comprise a liquid permeablematerial or apertures 152 defined in the topsheet 142 may make thetopsheet 142 liquid permeable or more liquid permeable. The topsheet 142may also comprise three-dimensional features, embossments, bondpatterns, lotions, and/or surfactants, for example. The acquisitionmaterial and/or distribution material 144 may be formed of nonwovenmaterials, foams, or other suitable materials. The acquisition materialand/or distribution material 144 is only illustrated in FIG. 32, sinceit is an optional feature. Optionally, a layer of cross-linkedcellulosic fibers may also be present intermediate the topsheet 142 andthe acquisition material and/or distribution material 144. The absorbentcore 146 may comprise an absorbent material. The absorbent material maycomprise airfelt and superabsorbent polymers, mostly or only airfelt, ormostly or only superabsorbent polymers. The absorbent core 146 may haveareas that are free of the absorbent material (e.g., channels that arefree of the absorbent material) or may have areas where the absorbentmaterial is densified (e.g., channels that are formed by densified areasin the absorbent material). The backsheet 148 may be liquid impermeable,and may or may not be air permeable (or “breathable”). In someinstances, the backsheet 148 may not be provided and bodily exudatesthat are not absorbed by the absorbent core 146 may pass through theinsert 140 and into the absorbent articles 10. The outer cover nonwovenmaterial 150 may or may not be provided and may be formed of a nonwovenmaterial, for example.

Referring to FIG. 32A, in some instances, the insert 140 may have thecross section illustrated when taken about line 32A-32A of FIG. 31. Insuch an instance, the topsheet 142 may form a C-wrap around end regionsof the backsheet 148 and be joined to the backsheet 148 using adhesivebonds 149, or other types of joining. In such an instance, a portion ofthe backsheet 148 may rest on the topsheet 36 of the absorbent article10. Stated another way, a portion of the backsheet 148 may form agarment-facing surface of the insert. An optional acquisition materialand/or distribution material 144 may be provided. The insert of FIG. 32Amay, in some instances, have an outer cover nonwoven material as well.

Referring to FIG. 33, an insert 140′ is illustrated. This example insert140′ has a grasp tab 154 on one end and a cut out 156 on the other end.The grasp tab 154 may be used by a caregiver to easily grasp and removethe insert 140′. The grasp tab 154, in an example, may be formed only ofa backsheet material, or other liquid impermeable material, so thatbodily exudates cannot wick to the grasp tab 154. In other instances,the grasp tab 154 may be formed of a portion of the topsheet 142, aportion of the backsheet 148, and/or a portion of the outer covernonwoven material 150. By providing the grasp tab 154 on one end and thecut out 156 on the other end, a material savings may be achieved whenthe inserts are manufactured in strip of a plurality of the inserts140′. Any of the inserts described herein may be manufactured in a stripof a plurality of the inserts and may be packaged as a roll of inserts,for example. Lines of weakness 158 may be formed intermediate thevarious inserts. In such an instance, a roll of a plurality of insertsmay be provided to a caregiver or nurse and the caregiver or nurse canthen tear off any suitable number of inserts for use on a particularwearer. The inserts may also be packaged in stacks, for example, or inother forms.

Referring to FIG. 34, the insert 140″ is illustrated. The example insert140″ may have a grasp tab 154 on both ends to allow for easier caregiveror nurse placement and removal of the inserts 140″.

In some instances, the various inserts may comprise stiffening membersor stiffened portions (e.g., foams, densified regions) to aid inapplication of the inserts into a donned absorbent article 10.

In some instances, it may be desirable for the absorbent articles to befree of fragrances, perfumes, and/or lotions. In other instances, one ormore components of the absorbent articles, such as the topsheet, forexample, may be free of fragrances, perfumes, and/or lotions.

Referring to FIG. 35, the elastics 52 may extend the full longitudinaldirection, substantially the full longitudinal direction, or only partof the full longitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10. Incertain instances though, the elastics 52 may only be joined to thecuffs 26 in a joined area 222. The elastics 52 may not extend the fulllongitudinal direction of the absorbent article 10 after the absorbentarticle is separated from other absorbent articles at the first end edge28 and at the second end edge 30. In this instance, the elastics 52 may“snap back” toward the joined area 222. Portions of the elastics 52outside of the joined area 222 may be free of joinder to the cuffs 26,thereby not applying elastic forces to areas of the cuffs 26 outside ofthe joined area 222. The joined area 222 may be centrally located on theelastics 52 in the longitudinal direction (i.e., a direction about thelongitudinal axis 20). Stated another way, the joined area 222 mayexhibit symmetry with respect to the lateral axis 12. In other cases,the joined area 222 may not exhibit symmetry with respect to the lateralaxis 12 or may not even cross the lateral axis 12. In this instance, thejoined area 222 may be fully positioned on a first side of the lateralaxis 12 or may be fully positioned on a second side of the lateral axis12. More than one joined area 222 may exist for a single cuff 26. In asingle elastic 52, one joined area may be on the first side of thelateral axis 12 and a second joined area may be on a second side of thelateral axis 12. The joined areas 222 may have a length extending in adirection generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 14 of about 0.25inches to about 10 inches, about 0.5 inches to about 7 inches, about 1inch to about 6 inches, about 1 inch to about 5 inches, or about 1 inchto about 4 inches, specifically reciting all 0.1 inch increments withthe specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. Thecertain longitudinal length of the joined areas 222 in a particularabsorbent article 10 may depend on the size of the absorbent article 10and/or the intended use of the absorbent article 10. The joined area 222may comprise one or more adhesives and/or one or more mechanical,ultrasonic, and/or thermal bonds, for example, to join the elastics 52in the joined area 222 to the cuffs 26. The joined areas 222 areillustrated as a rectangular block for illustration purposes only, andother suitable shapes are within the scope of the present disclosure.The elastics 52 may be under a pre-strain when joined to the cuffs 26 toactivate the joined areas 222 when the pre-strain is released. In someinstances, the elastics 52 may only extend longitudinally through thejoined area 222 and may be pre-strained. The cuffs 26 may be formed ofone or more materials or nonwoven materials. If only one material isused, that material may be folded over itself to enclose the elastics52. If two materials are used, the materials may sandwich the elasticstherebetween. The joined area 222 may be two or more discrete bonds 222′with pre-strained elastics 52P therebetween as illustrated in FIG. 37.The elastics 53, if provided, may have the same or different features asthe elastics 52 described in this paragraph. In other instances, onlythe elastics 53 may have the features described in this paragraph withrespect to the elastics 52. By providing elastics 52 and/or 53 with oneor more joined areas 222, the absorbent pad may form a U-like shape bybringing the first end edge 28 towards the second end edge 30. This mayprovide better bodily exudate containment. An example absorbent articlehaving this U-like shape is illustrated in FIG. 36.

In other instances, the joined areas 222 may not be provided and thecuffs may comprise a first nonwoven substrate or a first substrate and asecond nonwoven substrate or a second substrate. The first and secondnonwoven substrates may be joined to each other at differentlongitudinal pre-strain forces. As such, when these pre-strain forcesare released, the cuff may contract and form a structure like the topabsorbent article of FIG. 36. One pre-strain force in one of the firstand second substrates may be negligible or may be zero.

Referring to FIG. 37, an absorbent core 40 of any of the absorbentarticles 10 disclosed herein may have apertures 200 defined therein. Anysuitable number of apertures may be provided and the apertures 200 mayhave any suitable shape, such as round or ovate, for example. Theapertures 200 may also have any suitable size. The apertures 200 may allbe the same in size and/or shape or may be different in size and/orshape. The apertures 200 may be dispersed uniformly or non-uniformly inthe absorbent core 40. The apertures 200 may make the absorbent coremore flexible and allow the absorbent core to fold or flex easier. Theabsorbent core may be shaped as discussed herein.

Referring to FIG. 38, an absorbent core 40 of any of the absorbentarticles 10 disclosed herein may have slots 202 defined therein. Anysuitable number of slots 202 may be provided and the slots 202. Theslots 202 may all be the same in size and/or shape or may be differentin size and/or shape. The slots 202 may be linear or non-linear,continuous or discontinuous. The slots 202 may extend in any suitabledirection. The slots 202 may have any suitable width. In some instances,the slots 202 may not have material removed in their creation, but mayonly be cut lines in the absorbent core 36. The slots 202 may bedistributed uniformly or non-uniformly in the absorbent core 40. Theslots 202 may make the absorbent core 40 more flexible and allow theabsorbent core 40 to fold or flex easier. The absorbent core may beshaped as discussed herein.

As mentioned above, it may be desirable to provide an absorbent articlewith one or two removable fastening members (e.g., 100 herein), eachhaving a first fastener (e.g., 110 herein) and a second fastener (e.g.,112 herein). The first and second fasteners may comprise hooks, loops,adhesives, cohesives, and/or other materials described herein. The firstfastener of each of the removable fastening members may be attached in asecond or back waist region of the absorbent article. The secondfastener of each of the removable fastening members may be attached tothemselves (for ease in processing) and may be free of attachment to afirst or front waist region of the absorbent article. The secondfastener may also be attached to another portion of the absorbentarticle. The first fasteners may be attached by a machine to the backwaist region and the second fasteners may be attached by a caregiver tothe front waist region during application. To attach the first fastenersto the front waist region it may be desirable to provide the fasteningmembers with a high stretch at a low pulling force. First, this helps innot disturbing the attachment of the second fasteners to the back waistregion (i.e., helps reduce “pop-off”). Second, this helps in not movingor sliding the infant through the pulling force.

The absorbent articles of the present disclosure may have asignificantly adjustable waist circumference owing to the provisionof/use of at least one fully removable fastening member or two fullyremovable fastening members. Since the fasteners of the fully removablefastening members may be attached at any location, or at any locationproximate to the waist circumference, such as around the hipcircumference of a wearer, the waist circumference or the hipcircumference may be significantly adjustable to fit a wide range ofwearers having different waist or hip circumferences. To provide a smallwaist or hip opening circumference in the absorbent article, only oneremovable fastening member may be used. In other instances, tworemovable fastening members may be used and may or may not be partiallyoverlapped with each other. Stated another way, if the fastening membersform a ring proximate to a waist opening of the absorbent article, theremay be areas of the ring where a first removable fastening member isoverlapped with a second removable fastening member. In such aninstance, fasteners of a first removable fastening member may beattached to garment-facing surfaces of the absorbent article and onefastener of a second fastening member may be attached to agarment-facing surface of the first fastening member with the otherfastener attached to the garment-facing surface of the absorbentarticle. To provide a larger waist opening circumference in theabsorbent articles, the removable fastening members would generally notoverlap each other. In such an instance, the removable fastening memberswould attach in such a fashion as to make the waist openingcircumference as large as possible and would themselves form part of thewaist opening circumference.

Referring to FIGS. 39-43, example top views of waist openingconfigurations with removable fastening members attached in variousconfigurations are illustrated. In all of FIGS. 39-43, the absorbentarticle has a first or front waist region 16, a back or second waistregion 18, and one or more removable fastening members 100, each havinga first fastener 110 and a second fastener 112. Referring to FIG. 39, asingle removable fastening member 100 may be used to join the frontwaist region 16 to the back waist region 18. In this configuration, asmall waist or hip opening circumference is achieved. The singleremovable fastening member 100 may be overlapped with itself to createan even smaller waist or hip opening circumference. Stated another way,the fastener 110 may engage a garment-facing surface of the singleremovable fastening member 100, with the fastener 112 attached to agarment-facing surface of the absorbent article. Referring to FIG. 40,again a single removable fastening member 100 may be used to join thefront waist region 16 and the back waist region 18. In thisconfiguration, a larger waist or hip opening circumference is achievedrelative to FIG. 39. Referring to FIG. 41, again a single removablefastening member 100 may be used to join the front waist region 16 andthe back waist region 18. In this configuration, a larger waist or hipopening circumference is achieved relative to the waist or hip openingcircumference of FIG. 40. Referring to FIG. 42, two removable fasteningmembers 100 may be used to join the front waist region 16 and the backwaist region 18. In this configuration, a fairly small waist or hipcircumference is achieved. Referring to FIG. 42A, the two removablefastening members 100 may be overlapped with each other to achieve aneven smaller waist or hip opening circumference. In such a context, oneor both of the fasteners 110 and/or 112 of a first removable fasteningmember 100 may engage a garment-facing surface of the other removablefastening member 100. Referring to FIG. 43, two removable fasteningmembers 100 may be used to join the front waist region 16 and the backwaist region 18. In this configuration, a relatively large waist or hipcircumference is achieved compared to the waist or hip openingcircumference of FIG. 42. Those of skill in the art will recognize thefasteners 110 and/or 112 may also be attached at other locations toachieve other waist or hip opening circumferences. Those of skill in theart will also recognize that the stretch of the removable fasteningmembers 100 may also dictate or play a role in where the fasteners 110and/or 112 should be attached for a certain wearer. In some contexts, itmay be desirable to use the removable fastening members in anunstretched or substantially unstretched state to reduce pressure on thewearer.

The adjustable waist or hip circumference may be configured to fit arange of, or may be adjustable to, about 70 mm to about 275 mm, about100 mm to about 250 mm, about 100 mm to about 200 mm, in an unstretchedstate, for example, depending on whether one or two removable fasteningmembers are used.

The adjustable waist or hip circumference may be configured to fit arange of, or may be adjustable to, about 80 mm to about 300 mm, about100 mm to about 250 mm, about 120 mm to about 230 mm, in a stretchedstate, for example, depending on whether one or two removable fasteningmembers are used.

The adjustable waist or hip circumference may be configured to fit arange of, or may be adjustable to, about 80 mm to about 160 mm, about 90mm to about 150 mm, about 100 mm to about 150 mm, in a stretched state,for example, if a single removable fastening member is used.

Specifically reciting all 0.1 mm increments within the ranges specifiedin the above-three paragraph and all ranges formed therein or thereby.

The fasteners of the removable fastening members may, in some instances,be attached to one or more discrete landing zones on a garment-facingsurface, or other surface, of the absorbent articles of the presentdisclosure. The one or more discrete landing zones may be positioned inthe front or first waist region, the back or second waist region, or thecrotch region of an absorbent article of the present disclosure. Anysuitable number of discrete landing zones may be provided, such as one,two, three, four, five, six etc., for purposes of adjustability offastening. A single discrete landing zone may be provided proximate toor overlapping a central longitudinal axis of the absorbent article, forexample. Multiple discrete landing zones may be provided at variouslocation such that the waist opening circumference or hip circumferencemay be adjusted. The multiple discrete landing zone may have differentsizes and/or shapes and/or the same size and/or shapes.

Referring to FIG. 44, an example of a portion of a removable fasteningmember 300 comprising a fastener 302 (represents one or both offasteners 110 and 112 herein) is illustrated. Referring to FIG. 45, anexample discrete landing zone 304 is illustrated. The discrete landingzone 304 may be positioned on a garment-facing surface of an absorbentarticle of the present disclosure. The shape of the fastener 302 and theshape of the discrete landing zone 304 may vary. For example, thefastener 302 and/or the discrete landing zone 304 may be oval, circular,square, rectangular, triangular, have arcuate portions, or may compriseother suitable shapes. The shapes may or may not match each other. Forexample, the fastener 302 may be circular and the discrete landing zonemay be heart shaped. In some instances, a total area of the fastener 302may be smaller than, 75% smaller than, 50% smaller than, or 25% smallerthan a total area of the discrete landing zone 304. Additionally, orseparately, a maximum dimension, D1, of the fastener 302, may be smallerthan a maximum dimension, D2, of the discrete landing zone 304. Thesearea and dimension concepts may apply regardless of the shapes of thefasteners 302 and the shapes of the discrete landing zones 304. Byhaving a fastener 302 with a maximum dimension, D1, smaller than amaximum dimension, D2, of the discrete landing zone 304, the fastener302 is able to engage the discrete landing zone 304 at any suitableangle and/or orientation. Likewise, by having a fastener 302 with atotal area smaller than a total area of the discrete landing zone 304,the fastener 302 is able to engage the discrete landing zone 304 at anysuitable angle and/or orientation. The total area and maximum dimensionconcepts may be applied to a fastener and a discrete landing zonetogether or independently.

Referring to FIG. 46, an example of a portion of a removable fasteningmember 300′ comprising an alternative fastener 302′ (represents one orboth of fasteners 110 and 112 herein) is illustrated. The total area ofthe fastener 302′ may be the total of the areas of the three rectangle(or other shapes). The maximum dimension of the fastener 302′ may be D3or D4. FIG. 47 illustrates the discrete landing zone 304 for thefastener 302′.

Referring to FIG. 48, the portion of the removable fastening member 300with the fastener 302 is illustrated, although the fastener 302 couldalso be used. Referring to FIG. 49, a discrete landing zone 304′configured to receive the fastener 302 (or 302′) is illustrated. Thetotal area of the discrete landing zone 304′ may be the total of theareas of the three rectangle (or other shapes). The maximum dimension ofthe discrete landing zone 304′ may be D5 or D6.

Ratios of Absorbent Article Features

Owing to the fact that the absorbent articles of the present disclosureare designed for premature and/or NAS babies, these absorbent articleshave special requirements for various features to accommodate such smallusers and their specific needs. These special requirements are more thanjust making a smaller diaper to fit these wearers. Certain sizes, areas,and ratios of various product features and components, especially theremovable fastening members, aid in proper fit, superior performance,and most importantly comfort for the small wearers.

In the below, “length” means a distance measured in a direction that isparallel to a longitudinal axis of an absorbent article of the presentdisclosure. “Width” means a distance that is measured in a directionthat is perpendicular to a lateral axis of an absorbent article of thepresent disclosure. “Area” means normal calculations of area, such aslength×width for a rectangle, for example.

Fastener Area (e.g., 1 Area of Hooks)

The fasteners (e.g., 110, 112) (e.g., 1 area of hooks) may have an areain the range of about 0.0001 m² to about 0.0009 m², of about 0.0001 m²to about 0.0006 m², or of about 0.0001 m² to about 0.0005 m²,specifically reciting all 0.0001 m² increments within the specifiedranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby.

Ratio of Single Removable Fastening Member Length to Total AbsorbentArticle Length

The ratio of a single removable fastening member length to a totalabsorbent article length may be in the range of about 0.075 to about0.2, or of about 0.10 to about 0.19, specifically reciting all 0.001increments within the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein orthereby.

Ratio of Single Removable Fastening Member Width to Total AbsorbentArticle Length

The ratio of a single removable fastening member width to a totalabsorbent article length may be in the range of about 0.25 to about0.50, or about 0.25 to about 0.75, specifically reciting all 0.01increments within the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein orthereby. This ratio enables maximum waist or hip opening circumferencewith the least amount of force applied to the wearer (e.g., no orlimited stretch in the removable fastening members).

Ratio of Single Removable Fastening Member Width to Total AbsorbentArticle Width

The ratio of a single removable fastening member width to a totalabsorbent article width may be in the range of about 0.60 to about 1.0,about 0.6 to about 0.99, about 0.6 to about 0.95, about 0.6 to about0.90, specifically reciting all 0.01 increments within the specifiedranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby. This ratio delivers themaximum waist or hip opening circumference adjustability for variouslysized wearers.

Ratio of Fastener (e.g., 1 Area of Hooks) Length to Total AbsorbentArticle Length

The ratio of a fastener (e.g., 1 area of hooks) length to a totalabsorbent article length may be in the range of about 0.05 to about0.18, about 0.05 to about 0.15, or about 0.05 to about 010, specificallyreciting all 0.01 increments within the specified ranges and all rangesformed therein or thereby. This ratio helps with maximum customizationof fit around the legs and waist opening to accommodate special careneeds and safely fasten the fastener to the garment-facing surface ofthe absorbent article, or to a garment-facing surface of a removablefastening member, without undue concern that the fastener will contactthe skin of the wearer.

Ratio of Fastener (e.g., 1 Area of Hooks) Width to Total AbsorbentArticle Width

The ratio of a fastener (e.g., 1 area of hooks) width to a totalabsorbent article width may be in the range of about 0.10 to about 0.25,or about 0.10 to about 0.25 specifically reciting all 0.01 incrementswithin the specified ranges and all ranges formed therein or thereby.This ratio aids in the ease of fastener engagement for a caregiver.

Ratio of Fastener (e.g., 1 Area of Hooks) Area to Total AbsorbentArticle Area

The ratio of a fastener (e.g., 1 area of hooks) area to an absorbentarticle area may be in the range of about 0.015 to about 0.04,specifically reciting all 0.001 increments within the specified rangeand all ranges formed therein. This ratio provide for gentle fasteningwhile still ensuring adequate fastener performance.

Ratio of Total Fastener (e.g., 4 Hooks) Area to Total Absorbent ArticleArea

The ratio of a total fastener (e.g., 4 hooks) area to a total absorbentarticle area may be about 0.07 to about 0.15, specifically reciting all0.01 increments within the specified range and all ranges formedtherein. The total fastener area is the sum of all of the fastenersareas on both of the removable fastening members, so four fastenerstotal.

Ratio of Single Removable Fastening Member Area to Total AbsorbentArticle Area

The ratio of a single removable fastening member area to a totalabsorbent article area may be in the range of about 0.11 to about 0.15,specifically reciting all 0.01 increments within the specified rangesand all ranges formed therein or thereby. This ratio provides maximumadjustability at the waist opening circumference.

Test Methods

For all test methods, condition the samples at 23° C.±2° C. and 50%±2%relative humidity for 2 hours prior to testing.

Folded Crotch Width Test

The Folded Crotch Width (W) (see FIG. 1) is measured by folding anabsorbent article sample so that the front and back waist edges arealigned, and so that corresponding lateral edges are aligned with eachother. Using a calibrated ruler certified by NIST, measure and recordthe lateral width of the outer surface of the sample along the fold tothe nearest 0.1 mm. Repeat this procedure for 10 substantially similarabsorbent articles samples. Average together the 10 individual FoldedCrotch Width (W) measurements and report the value nearest 0.1 mm.

Folded Crotch Angle Test

The Folded Crotch Angle (A) (see FIG. 1) is measured by folding anabsorbent article sample so that the front and back waist edges arealigned, and so that corresponding lateral edges are aligned with eachother. Using a calibrated protractor certified by NIST measure, andrecord the angles (A) of the two angled portions 63 (see FIG. 1) of thesample relative to the lateral axis of the folded sample to the nearest0.1 degrees. Repeat this procedure for 10 substantially similarabsorbent article samples. Average together the 20 individual FoldedCrotch Angle (A) measurements and report the value nearest 0.1 degrees.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood asbeing strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead,unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean boththe recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding thatvalue. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean“about 40 mm.”

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation ofany document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect toany embodiment disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in anycombination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests ordiscloses any such embodiment. Further, to the extent that any meaningor definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It istherefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An absorbent article comprising: a centrallateral axis; a central longitudinal axis; a liquid permeable topsheet;a liquid impermeable backsheet; an absorbent core positioned at leastpartially intermediate the liquid permeable topsheet and the liquidimpermeable backsheet; a first waist region on a first side of thecentral lateral axis; a second waist region on a second side of thecentral lateral axis; a crotch region extending intermediate the firstwaist region and the second waist region; an outer cover material joinedto the backsheet and forming a portion of a garment-facing surface ofthe absorbent article; a pair of leg cuffs; an adjustable waistcircumference; a first fully removable fastening member configured tojoin the first waist region to the second waist region on a first sideof the central longitudinal axis, the first fully removable fasteningmember comprising: a first surface; a second surface opposite to thefirst surface; a first end; a second end opposite to the first end; afirst fastener on the first surface and positioned proximate to thefirst end; and a second fastener on the first surface and positionedproximate to the second end; a second fully removable fastening memberconfigured to join the first waist region to the second waist region ona second side of the central longitudinal axis, the second fullyremovable fastening member comprising: a third surface; a fourth surfaceopposite to the third surface; a third end; a fourth end opposite to thethird end; a third fastener on the third surface and positionedproximate to the third end; and a fourth fastener on the third surfaceand positioned proximate to the fourth end; a first umbilical cord notchdefined in a first end edge in the first waist region; and a secondumbilical cord notch defined in a second end edge in the second waistregion; wherein the first umbilical cord notch and the second umbilicalcord notch have identical dimensions; wherein the adjustable waistcircumference, using at least one of the first and second fullyremovable fastening members, is configured to fit a wearer waist or hipcircumference in a range of about 70 mm to about 300 mm; wherein a ratioof a length of the first fully removable fastening member to a totallength of the absorbent article is in the range of 0.10 to 0.19; andwherein the absorbent article is configured for reversible wear aboutthe central lateral axis.
 2. The absorbent article of claim 1, whereinthe adjustable waist circumference, using at least one of the first andsecond fully removable fastening members, is configured to fit a wearerwaist or hip circumference in the range of about 70 mm to about 274 mm.3. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the adjustable waistcircumference, using at least one of the first and second fullyremovable fastening members, is configured to fit a wearer waist or hipcircumference in the range of about 100 mm to about 200 mm.
 4. Theabsorbent article of claim 1, wherein the adjustable waistcircumference, using the first and second fully removable fasteningmembers, is configured to fit a wearer waist or hip circumference in therange of about 100 mm to about 200 mm.
 5. The absorbent article of claim1, wherein the first fastener has an area in the range of about 0.0001m² to about 0.0005 m².
 6. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein aratio of a width of the first fully removable fastening member to atotal length of the absorbent article is in the range of about 0.25 toabout 0.5.
 7. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein a ratio of awidth of the first fully removable fastening member to a total width ofthe absorbent article is in the range of about 0.60 to about 1.0.
 8. Theabsorbent article of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a length of the firstfastener to a total length of the absorbent article is in the range ofabout 0.5 to about 0.18.
 9. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein aratio of a width of the first fastener to a total width of the absorbentarticle is in the range of about 0.1 to about 0.2.
 10. The absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a sum of the areas of the firstfastener, the second fastener, the third fastener, and the fourthfastener to a total area of the absorbent article is in the range ofabout 0.07 to about 0.15.
 11. The absorbent article of claim 1, whereina ratio of an area of the first fastener to an area of the absorbentarticle is in the range of about 0.015 to about 0.04.
 12. The absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein a ratio of an area of the first fullyremovable fastening member to an area of the absorbent article is in therange of about 0.11 to about 0.15.
 13. The absorbent article of claim 1,wherein the first fully removable fastening member comprises a firstnonwoven material, a second nonwoven material, and an elastic materialpositioned at least partially intermediate the first nonwoven materialand the second nonwoven material.
 14. The absorbent article of claim 1,wherein the absorbent article has a folded crotch width of less thanabout 35 mm, according to the Folded Crotch Width Test herein.
 15. Anabsorbent article comprising: a topsheet; a backsheet; an absorbent corepositioned at least partially intermediate the topsheet and thebacksheet; a central lateral axis; a central longitudinal axis; a firstwaist region on a first side of the central lateral axis; a second waistregion on a second side of the central lateral axis; a first fullyremovable fastening member configured to join the first waist region andthe second waist region on a first side of the central longitudinalaxis; a second fully removable fastening member configured to join thefirst waist region and the second waist region on a second side of thecentral longitudinal axis; a first umbilical cord notch defined in afirst end edge in the first waist region; and a second umbilical cordnotch defined in a second end edge in the second waist region; whereinthe first umbilical cord notch and the second umbilical cord notch haveidentical dimensions; the absorbent article having an adjustable waistopening, wherein the waist opening is adjustable from about 100 mm toabout 300 mm using the first and second fully removable fasteningmembers; wherein a ratio of a length of the first fully removablefastening member to a total length of the absorbent article is in therange of 0.10 to 0.19; and wherein the absorbent article is configuredfor reversible wear about the central lateral axis.
 16. The absorbentarticle of claim 15, wherein a ratio of an area of the first fullyremovable fastening member to an area of the absorbent article is in therange of about 0.11 to about 0.15.
 17. The absorbent article of claim16, wherein a ratio of an area of the second fully removable fasteningmember to an area of the absorbent article is in the range of about 0.11to about 0.15.
 18. The absorbent article of claim 17, wherein the firstfully removable fastening member and the second fully removablefastening member each comprise a first nonwoven material, a secondnonwoven material, and an elastic material positioned at least partiallyintermediate the first nonwoven material and the second nonwovenmaterial.
 19. The absorbent article of claim 15, wherein the firstfastener has an area in the range of about 0.0001 m² to about 0.0005 m².20. The absorbent article of claim 15, wherein a ratio of a width of thefirst fully removable fastening member to a total length of theabsorbent article is in the range of about 0.25 to about 0.5.